There is a Planned Unit Development (PUD) of 740± acres in southeast Tallahassee called the English Property PUD and PUD Amendment. It extends from Blairstone Road to east of Rickards High and from Orange Ave. to Tram Road.
The existing forest will be clear cut, leaving disjointed small islands of greenery. The Veteran’s Affairs clinic, Russell Office Park and Lullwater apartment complex are examples from the 2012 PUD.
Should mega constructions result on this remaining property, deforestation will be imminent, with complete habitat loss for fauna and flora.
There is a possibility this forest is habitat for red-cockaded woodpeckers, gopher tortoises, and eastern indigo snakes, all endangered and threatened wildlife species.
Should this thriving ecosystem be permanently eradicated and replaced with expansive impermeable surfaces, there will be significant soil erosion compounded with surges of stormwater runoff.
Swells of runoff with elevated levels of fertilizers and toxins will adversely affect the low elevation, prone to flooding, Blairstone Forest and neighboring communities.
This English Property PUD is in the Woodville Karst Plain with multiple karst features including sinkholes, a spring head and run.
These geologic features unique to this property are vulnerable to storm water runoff with elevated pollutants from manmade disturbances. Contaminated water will enter the Floridan Aquifer, manifesting at Wakulla Springs.
The quality of daily lives and safety of established communities neighboring the 740± acres of the English Property PUD will be irreversibly affected.
Congested vehicular traffic, safety, noise on Blairstone Road and Orange Avenue will be exacerbated by unchecked expansion of human density planned for the English Property PUD.
Proposed commercial uses for this PUD is redundant, hastening unnecessary urban sprawl with more trash/sewage, crime resulting in the decline of homeowners’ property values.
Submitted to the COT in 2021, the English Property PUD Amendment (TRZ21003) has been revised by the applicant and will be voted on March 23, 2022 by the City Commission. The current revision is downsized
from 494 acres to a 36 acre parcel, the Hathaway, another multistory apartment complex, across from Lullwater, on Blairstone Road.
The applicant is committed that the remaining 456 acres be part of a new amendment to be submitted later.
NOW is the time to collectively act in order to modify the PUD current land use plan. Disjointed ‘open spaces’ currently on the land use plan are ineffective and inadequate to act as green corridors.
Significant reductions of the of multi-story buildings and floors and parking areas should be considered more thoroughly in order to maintain its sustainability.
‘Neighborhood Village Centers’ currently planned at every intersection must be voided.
Construction of gas stations, fast food/ convenience services, car wash, dry cleaning must not be permitted.
If, inevitably, the English Property PUD is to be constructed, it must be conducted transparently in which all concerns, suggestions addressed by neighboring communities be closely, publicly reviewed, and implemented correctly.
Ultimately, it is imperative that the English Property PUD land use plan demonstrate sustainability and preservation of its remaining natural resources in which nature and human could co-exist.
For more information: savetheenglishforest.carrd.co
Sign the petition: www.petitions.net/savetheenglishforest
